


First Days

by azurefirem



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Conveniently timed tree branches are my favorite plot devices, Developing Relationship, F/M, Growing Up Together, Humor, Just for the record, Light Angst, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oblivious Kagome, Romance, Romantic Friendship, Snapshots, Time Skips, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, at least An Attempt Was Made, cross-posted on dokuga, there will be no lemons, too much research not enough writing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-04-07 06:08:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19079062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/azurefirem/pseuds/azurefirem
Summary: Six-year-old Kagome is a force to be reckoned with. When she stumbles across a lonely boy while bringing water to her friend, she insists on befriending him. As life goes on, he finds it's not as easy to keep a friend as it is to make one.





	1. Friendship

Kagome Higurashi was a force to be reckoned with. Though she was only five, she could probably out-stubborn a mule if necessary. Luckily, her mother had never had to test that theory. Until Kagome started school. Then, Mrs. Higurashi began to worry. Kagome regularly came home with notes from the teacher – she never was _badly_ behaved, per se, but she butted heads with her teacher. Regularly.

Mrs. Higurashi knew on some very deep level that Kagome’s iron will would get her into trouble someday, the sort of trouble her parents couldn’t bail her out of. She didn’t realize just how soon that day was coming.

It was an ordinary sort of Tuesday afternoon. Kagome was on the playground during recess, swinging from the monkey bars. She managed to cross the entire stretch without falling for the first time, and when her feet touched the platform on the far side, she couldn’t steady herself fast enough so she could do a victory dance. “Yuka-chan! I did it! I went across the whole way!” she cheered.

Her friend Yuka, on the platform where Kagome started, clapped happily. “I told you that you could do it, Kagome-chan!”

“Now you come, Yuka-chan, you can do it!” Kagome shouted back. “C’mon, hurry so we can go down the slide!”

If anything was incentive for a young girl to cross the monkey bars, it was the slide. Yuka took a deep breath, and gripped the first bar. Kagome called out to her encouragingly, wanting to see her friend succeed. Unfortunately, Yuka slipped midway, and fell hard onto the gravel below. Kagome jumped down carefully and ran over. “Yuka-chan, Yuka-chan, are you okay?”

Yuka’s eyes filled with tears. “My ankle hurts, I think I need to see the nurse.”

“I’ll help you, c’mon.” Kagome reached down and pulled Yuka to her feet. She helped the other girl hobble towards the nurse’s station.

“Takahashi-sensei! My friend Yuka-chan fell off the monkey bars and hurt her ankle,” Kagome babbled breathlessly. “I finally got all the way across for the first time and I told her she could do it but then she fell and—“

“Kagome-chan, shhh. Take a deep breath,” Takahashi-sensei soothed. “Now, can you get Yuka-chan a cup of water while I take a look at her ankle?”

“Yes ma’am, Takahashi-sensei!” Kagome bowed quickly and ran off to the water fountain with a paper cup. She was walking back quickly, but carefully, when she saw a boy with long white hair standing off to the side, looking lonely. He scuffed his foot along the ground, clearly lost along a sad train of thought. She walked up to him and introduced herself.

“Hi, I’m Kagome. You look like you need a friend.” She smiled at the boy. “You can be my friend, if you want.”

He looked up and studied her face for a moment. “I don’t need friends. Father says that a man must stand on his own.”

“Well, that sounds silly. My daddy says that you need friends who can cheer you up when you’re sad, ‘cuz it’s easier to face scary things when you have someone beside you.” She smiled happily. “He also says that spending good times with friends is better than spending them alone.”

He hesitated. “I don’t know. My father –”

“What’s your name?” she interrupted, changing the subject.

“I am Nishimura Sesshoumaru.”

“That’s a long name. How old are you? Can I call you Sesshou-chan?”

“No. I am nine years old.” His language was oddly formal to Kagome.

“You’re old, Sesshou-chan. I’m six!” she said proudly.

“Not that old.” He glared at her. “And don’t call me Sesshou-chan.”

“But nine is a lot older than six.” Kagome’s eyes widened as she remembered the cup of water she was holding. “C’mon, Sesshou-chan, come with me to give this water to my friend. She fell off the monkey bars and Takahashi-sensei asked me to bring her some water.” She held her hand out to him.

He made a grumpy noise. “Don’t call me that.” But he took her hand anyways, and she nearly dragged him behind her, chattering all the while.

“Sorry it took me so long, Yuka-chan! I found a new friend. This is Nishimura Sesshoumaru.” Kagome smiled and handed the water over.

“Thanks, Kagome-chan! Hi, Sesshoumaru-san. I’m Yuka.” She smiled shyly at the older boy as Takahashi-sensei finished wrapping up her ankle.

“At least your friend has manners,” he muttered.

“I heard that!” Kagome cried. “Don’t be a meanie, Sesshou-chan.”

“There!” Takahashi-sensei patted Yuka’s knee gently. “All wrapped up and ready to go. Don’t forget your ice pack, Yuka-chan.”

“Thank you, Takahashi-sensei!” Yuka hopped down from the chair. The three children left, Kagome leading the way.

\---

After school, Kagome and Yuka helped scrub down their classroom. They left the building, walking to the train station together as they always did, before Yuka turned to keep walking home. “Bye, Yuka-chan! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Kagome called as she walked onto the platform. Sesshoumaru turned around to see her.

“You take the train, Kagome-san?” he asked, clearly surprised.

“Yeah. I live on a shrine kinda far away, Mama and Daddy had to get special per-mi-shun for me to go here cuz it was closer than the school I’m supposed to go to.” Kagome tilted her head as she looked at her new friend. “You don’t hafta use ‘san’ for me, Sesshou-chan. I’m just Kagome. Where do you live?”

“In the Asagawa district.” He didn’t give her any more information than that, annoyed by her insistence on calling him Sesshou-chan.

“That’s so far!”

“My mother teaches sixth grade. Usually I go home with her but she had an appointment today.” He looked off into the distance, his mind travelling far away.

“Sesshou-chan…?” Kagome looked at him curiously. “Is everything ok? You can tell me anything, we’re friends, remember?”

He kept his eyes trained on the roof of a faraway skyscraper. “My parents are separating.”

Kagome gasped. “That’s awful!”

“It is necessary.” He shrugged. “My mother discovered my father had a mistress.”

“What’s a mistress?”

“It’s like…” Sesshoumaru thought hard. “My father loved someone that wasn’t my mother.”

“I see why you’re sad, Sesshou-chan,” Kagome said quietly. “You really do need a friend.”

He realized that a weight he didn’t even know about had been lifted when he told her what was going on. “It’s not too bad.” He looked over, and saw Kagome’s fallen face. Something deep inside him broke, and he confessed, “At least, not anymore. I have a friend now.”

Kagome whipped her head around. “What?!”

“Thank you, Kagome-chan,” he said as the train pulled up. “You’re my first friend.”

Kagome smiled, and grabbed his hand as they got onto the train.

\---

“So, Sesshou-chan, why’s your hair so white?” Kagome asked a few weeks later as she and Yuka were picking flowers.

“It is a family trait passed down through my father’s line.” Sesshoumaru’s lips curled up in the tiniest of smiles. “My father says it is an emblem of the House of the Moon.”

“What’s an em-blim?” Yuka didn’t know the unfamiliar word.

“Oh! I know, it was in my bedtime story last night. Daddy said it’s a symbol, something that has a special meaning to people, like our uniforms tell people what school we go to,” Kagome said happily.

Sesshoumaru glanced at Kagome. _She’s a lot smarter than she looks._ “Something like that. My father says that the Nishimura line breeds strong. Everyone on his side of the family has white hair.”

“Yours is really pretty, Sesshou-chan.” Kagome reached out to touch it. “And it’s soft!”

“It is something to be proud of, which means it must be treated carefully.” Sesshoumaru repeated the words his father had told him thousands of times, words that echoed through his dreams.

The three chatted ‘til the bell rang, signifying the end of recess.


	2. Middle School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kagome walked out of the doors on the first day of fourth grade to see a boy in a middle-school uniform with long white hair lounging against a tree in the schoolyard, she burst into tears.

Three and a half years later, Sesshoumaru graduated from elementary school into middle school. Kagome cried, throwing a tantrum that rivaled the worst of her little brother’s, and made Sesshoumaru promise to meet her at the elementary school doors every day when school started up again so they could keep riding the train home together. He spent an hour and a half looking at their schedules and trying to figure out how he could keep his promise, and when Kagome walked out of the doors on the first day of fourth grade to see a boy in a middle-school uniform with long white hair lounging against a tree in the schoolyard, she burst into tears. Sesshoumaru rushed over to comfort her, only to find out there was such a thing as happy tears. She hiccupped and sobbed her thanks to him.

They talked on the train ride home about their respective days at school, and most afternoons found Sesshoumaru over at Kagome’s house until well after dinner time. The two were practically inseparable, doing homework together and playing on the shrine grounds. Mrs. Higurashi knew Sesshoumaru was avoiding going home—his mother had disappeared during his fifth-grade year, and his father’s temper had grown steadily worse ever since—so she didn’t mind, and frankly, neither did his absentee father. The less I have to deal with Sesshoumaru, the better, thought Mr. Nishimura.

\---

Late one night, in the middle of Kagome's fifth year of school, she woke up to hear voices coming from the living room. She crept down the stairs as quietly as she could, just as her mother burst into tears. The voices she didn't recognize were policemen, come to deliver the worst news possible. Mr. Higurashi had been hit by a car on his way home from a conference, and didn't make it to the hospital alive. Kagome flew to her mother, and though Mrs. Higurashi desperately tried to hide her grief and cajole Kagome in returning to bed, she stayed by her mother's side. She took the next day off school and spent it cuddling her baby brother Souta, still too young to understand what happened, while Mrs. Higurashi tried to hold herself together while she got her late husband's affairs in order.

Sesshoumaru was surprised that day when a worried Yuka walked up to him instead of Kagome. "Kagome-chan wasn't here today, Sesshoumaru-san. I don't know why. We should go to the shrine and make sure she's okay. She didn't even call me to tell me she was sick or anything."

Sesshoumaru nodded, and motioned for Yuka to come along. The two rode the train in an uncomfortable silence. As they climbed the shrine steps, they could feel the subdued energy surrounding the building, and Sesshoumaru even knocked on the door rather than just entering as he usually did. Mrs. Higurashi answered the door and ushered the two children in. Neither asked how she was doing—it was clear the answer was "not well."

"Kagome is sleeping, finally. She...I should probably start at the beginning. Last night we received the news that my husband, Kagome's father, passed away. She stayed awake all night and only just got to sleep about thirty minutes ago. I can tell her you were here when she wakes up?" Mrs. Higurashi looked as though she were on the brink of collapse.

Yuka bowed politely. "Thank you, Higurashi-san, please tell Kagome-chan we were worried about her and I'll see her tomorrow at school."

She left the house, and as the door closed, Sesshoumaru heard himself ask "Do you need any help?"

Those were both the best and worst words for Mrs. Higurashi to hear. She needed help—her daughter desperately needed the stability of her best friend, and Mrs. Higurashi was trying to stay afloat through her own grief. "I don't want you to burden yourself, Sesshoumaru-kun," she said kindly. "But I would appreciate if you watched Souta while I made dinner."

"Of course." He nodded and went to find the young boy, peeking into Kagome's room as he did so. She was collapsed in a heap on her bed, surrounded by her stuffed animals. Sesshoumaru ached to go in and hug her, but he remembered her mother saying she had only just gotten to sleep. He went in anyways, to tuck a blanket around her, and eased her door closed before going into Souta's room.

The next morning, Sesshoumaru was waiting for Kagome at the base of the shrine steps. Her hair was wild and her face puffy from crying. He said nothing, just pulled her into his arms. She was startled, but quickly leaned into his comforting embrace. They walked to his school together, where Kagome hugged him again at the gates. He promised he would be waiting after school for her, and she felt a little lighter as she walked to the train. Yuka met her at the elementary school gate, and quietly told Kagome that she was going to protect her. Yuka's father had died a few years before, and she knew all too well the cruelty of other children when they learned of someone's loss. The two girls walked into the building hand-in-hand, Yuka supporting her young friend in her grief. Sesshoumaru kept his promise, and Yuka led a dazed Kagome over to him after school. He thanked Yuka, before gently easing Kagome into a conversation as they walked to the train station.

Though it was already routine to meet her after school, Sesshoumaru started waiting at the shrine steps every morning for Kagome. By the end of the year, he was occasionally spending the night at the shrine, too. With a young son needing so much of her attention, the older woman was thankful for Sesshoumaru’s constant presence. He helped Kagome so much, and he was practically a part of the Higurashi family already. That year, Mrs. Higurashi's father moved in and resumed taking care of the family shrine so she could start working as a secretary to a mid-level manager in a local company. He taught Kagome how to shoot an arrow, insisting that she needed to learn how to perform the duties of a shrine maiden.

Souta, now in first grade, accompanied his big sister to her first day of sixth grade—her final year at elementary school—and he joined Kagome and Sesshoumaru on their ride home. Souta looked up to Sesshoumaru in awe, and absolutely idolized the older boy. In turn, Sesshoumaru acted almost as a surrogate father to Souta, emulating the father he wished he had. He taught Souta how to kick a soccer ball, starting his lifelong love affair with the game. Kagome was happy to watch her brother and best friend play from the branches of the Goshinboku tree on the shrine grounds. She didn't join in, preferring archery to soccer, but cheered both boys on anyways.

\---

When Kagome was at her middle school orientation, she met Sesshoumaru’s younger half-brother Inuyasha. She introduced the two, only for Sesshoumaru to explode at the younger boy for daring to have the Nishimura hair. Being the illegitimate son of his father’s mistress and an indirect cause of his parents’ divorce didn't endear the younger boy to his brother. Inuyasha, having seen photos of Sesshoumaru decorating the halls of their father's house, wanted to be just like his older brother, but Sesshoumaru wanted nothing to do with the boy he viewed as taking everything that was rightfully his. Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, Kagome and Inuyasha were fast friends, reinforcing Sesshoumaru’s belief that Inuyasha was destroying his life from the inside out. Sesshoumaru continued to meet Kagome at the school doors, but their journey to the shrine weren’t the same anymore, not with Inuyasha accompanying them.

Inuyasha was a near-constant in Kagome's life during seventh grade. The two were practically inseparable, not unlike Kagome and Sesshoumaru had been in the years previous. Kagome's group of friends grew from just her and Yuka to include two girls named Eri and Ayumi, and another boy named Kouga. Kouga was a prankster through and through, and had a special talent for not only pulling pranks but also getting away with them.

As the year dragged on, Inuyasha and Kouga both developed a massive crush on Kagome, and the two boys began competing for her affection. Kouga was at a severe disadvantage, living so close to the middle school, because Kagome lived further out—and in the opposite direction. Inuyasha took advantage of the extra time with Kagome to flirt heavily with her, even in front of his brother. Kagome and her friends formed a study group midyear, unintentionally pushing Sesshoumaru out. He wasn't keen on hanging out with seventh-graders, especially seventh-graders that weren't Kagome.

On some level, Sesshoumaru didn't particularly mind being left out—more time for him to focus on his schoolwork, of course—but he missed Kagome's presence. He grew more and more withdrawn, watching his best friend—his only friend—blush and laugh at his half-brother’s jokes. As the school year drew to a close, he decided that next year, he would stop meeting Kagome at the school doors. He didn't want to watch his half-brother taking Kagome away, not when he had already destroyed Sesshoumaru's happy family.


	3. Without You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I miss you,” he whispered. “Don’t leave me. Not for Inuyasha.”

The first day of eighth grade, when she realized Sesshoumaru wasn’t leaning against a tree, waiting for her, Kagome ran the entire way home, up the shrine stairs, and hid in the Goshinboku—the massive God Tree on the shrine ground—before bursting into tears. She refused to come down for dinner. Mrs. Higurashi put Kagome’s dinner into a bento box and handed it up to her distraught daughter. After she and Souta finished eating, she called the Nishimura household and asked for Sesshoumaru. He came to the phone, and politely told Mrs. Higurashi that Kagome had made a choice, and he was respecting that choice.

Mrs. Higurashi did something she had never done before. She knew Sesshoumaru hadn’t actually presented Kagome with a choice. And she told him as much. She tore into him, scolding him for expecting her daughter to be able to read his mind. But when her tirade was done, she sighed. “Sesshoumaru, I am only looking out for my daughter. She’s been up in the tree all night and didn’t even come down for dinner. She’s distressed, and it worries me. Please, just talk to her about everything.” She didn’t wait to hear his response before she hung up.

Sesshoumaru leaned back, his head thumping softly against the wall. He’d known he made a mistake, from the moment he walked past the middle school without even looking at the building. The campuses were only a block apart, and the middle school was on his way home. It was trivial, really, to wait for her. But he didn’t, and he’d been trying to reason with himself and justify the decision all night. And then Mrs. Higurashi called, and threw all of his careful arguments out the window.

He stood. Kagome needed him. He tossed a pair of pajama pants and his uniform into his backpack, checked to make sure he had everything he needed for school the next day, and slung the bag over his shoulder. He caught the butler as he was leaving and told the old man where he was going, on the unlikely chance his father noticed his absence. The old man nodded sympathetically and told the young master to go to his friend. Mr. Nishimura would respect the honor behind his son’s actions, even if he didn’t like them.

Sesshoumaru made it to the shrine in record time. He flew up the stairs, greeted Mrs. Higurashi only long enough to drop his bag off, and ran to the Goshinboku. He hauled himself up into the branches, into his favorite spot, knowing Kagome would be in hers on the next branch over. Indeed, she was there, her face red and puffy, her uniform wrinkled, and very carefully ignoring him.

This would not do.

“Kagome.” He broke the silence, his voice unsteady. “I…”

“I don’t want to hear it, Sesshoumaru.”

She never called him by his full name. Not unless she was introducing him to someone. In that moment, the magnitude of his mistake was apparent. She climbed down from the tree and went inside, leaving him behind. He stayed in the branches, watching the leaves sway gently in the wind. Nearly an hour later, he too climbed down and went into the house.

“It’s a bit late to go home,” Mrs. Higurashi said as he entered. “The couch is already set up for you.”

“Thank you.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “She won’t listen to me.”

“You know how stubborn she is. I’ll talk to her when I go up to bed.” The older woman smiled kindly at the boy who had become part of her family.

Unsteadily, he returned the smile. “Thank you.”

“Of course, dear.” Mrs. Higurashi bid him good night, and he flopped onto the couch. The clock on the DVD player glowed red, his eyes watching its numbers silently change late into the night.

\---

The next morning, Kagome came downstairs before her mother did, finding Sesshoumaru on the couch in an exhausted sleep. She sat on the floor, her back to him. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I don’t know why you’re mad at me. I don’t know what I did. But I’m sorry.”

He opened his eyes, resisted the urge to say ‘Don’t lie to me, you know what you did.’ He didn’t know how to say ‘I thought you abandoned me in favor of my brother.’ There wasn’t exactly a Hallmark card for the occasion. Not that he would have gotten it for her anyways. He wasn't much of a card person.

“I miss you,” he whispered. “Don’t leave me. Not for Inuyasha.”

In that moment, she understood. “I wasn’t leaving you for him, Sesshou-chan.”

All the tension drained from his body when she used her nickname for him. He hadn’t known how important it was to him until she’d stopped. “But you were growing closer to him.”

“I’m closer with Yuka-chan than I am with your brother, and you don’t get mad at me for that.”

“ _Half_ -brother,” he emphasized.

“Whatever.” She turned to look at him. “It’s the family thing, that’s why you’re mad at me, isn’t it?”

Sesshoumaru sighed, turning onto his back to stare at the ceiling. “He takes everything from me.”

“He hasn’t taken me.”

“But he was close.”

“No, Sesshou-chan. He wasn’t. Isn’t. I’m still your friend, if you’re still mine.”

“But you were laughing and blushing—“

“You  _know_  his jokes make me uncomfortable!” Her eyes blazed angrily.

“Oh.”

“You didn’t.” Her tone wasn’t accusing, though the words still seemed to be.

“No. I thought you were flirting.”

“What, because I  _laughed_  at his  _jokes_? That’s not flirting, Sesshou-chan. Not at all.”

“But you still like him.” He refused to give up. He’d already admitted he was wrong once, and didn’t want to have to do it again.

“Not like that.” She shook her head, her voice soft. “I like someone else. But he doesn’t like me back. So it doesn’t matter.”

“Oh.”

They fell silent again.

“Do you want breakfast, Sesshou-chan? Smells like Mom’s made your favorite.”

“That sounds good.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.


	4. Resuming Routines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As today and yesterday had taught him, she had walked into his heart and refused to leave.

When Kagome left school the next day with Inuyasha, a familiar sight greeted her. A tall boy with white hair and amber eyes in a high school uniform leaned against a tree, waiting for her in the same manner he had for five years now. She shrieked and ran to him, leaving a confused Inuyasha on the steps. “Sesshou-chan! You waited.” She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

“Yes,” he said softly, resting his chin on her head. “It felt wrong, walking past without waiting for you. I did not want to make the same mistake two days in a row.”

"I missed you yesterday. Don't skip out on me again." She mock-scolded, but deep down she really meant it. She didn't know what she'd do if he didn't show up again.

"I would never."

"But you did, yesterday."

"And I admitted it was a mistake. A mistake that will not happen again."

"Pinky-promise?" Kagome held out her pinky finger, her eyes wide as she looked up at him.

"Indeed." He hooked his pinky around hers.

"I'll see you tomorrow at lunch, Yasha-kun," she called out as she walked off with Sesshoumaru. 

“Who were you talking about this morning?” he asked as they rounded a corner.

“Huh?” She laughed nervously. “What do you mean?”

“When you said you liked someone. Who?”

“I—uh, hmm, it’s a secret?” She hoped he wouldn’t pry further.

“A secret, is it? Do I need to tell someone to treat you properly?”

Kagome blushed furiously. “Can we change the topic?”

“No. Who do you like, Kagome?”

“Not telling!” she squeaked. “I can’t. Nope. No way. Not gonna tell.”

“How do you know he does not like you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you asked him?”

“No. But he’d never like me. Guys like him never like girls like me.” She sighed wistfully as they arrived at the shrine. As they started to climb the steps, she looked over at him. "You know coming up these stairs with me means you have to help me with my math homework, right?"

"You already have homework?"

"You had Suzuki-sensei, didn't you?"

"Oh. Yes. I remember now."

"He's  _awful_!" Kagome cried. "I need a snack before I can do any math. Jii-chan!" she called as she walked into the house. "I'm home, and Sesshou-chan is here too."

Her grandfather tottered down the stairs. "Ahh, Kagome, good. The well house needs sweeping, and I need a strong young man to help me move some things in the storage shed."

Kagome sighed. "Jii-chan, I have math homework to do."

"Sweeping out the well house doesn't take that long, child."

"Fine. But you owe me a snack!"

\---

Kagome lay awake in bed that night, ruminating over the past two days. Sesshoumaru had waited for her today, after having abandoned her yesterday. Realizing he hadn’t waited for the first time since she made him promise had  _hurt_. She’d figured he got sick of her, but today had proved her wrong there.

She knew she was starting to have feelings for him, but he’d never go for her. The first problem was that she was thirteen and still in middle school. No high schooler wanted to date someone in middle school. She sighed and turned over. He probably had girls lining up to date him, anyways. Kagome wouldn’t even rate a second thought. Maybe she was wrong, though. The last two days had shaken the foundations of her image of him. She hadn’t thought he was cold enough to just drop her without a word, but he had done just that. And then, today, when he said he’d made a mistake—maybe he did like her back. She’d never know, though. She wasn’t game enough to ask him.

The next neighborhood over, Sesshoumaru stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, his thoughts filled with Kagome. He'd realized he had started falling in love with her last year, realized it one day when he was irrationally jealous of his brother for being on the receiving end of one of Kagome's bright smiles. A week after he realized that, he'd made the decision to let her start eighth grade alone. He would be sixteen, a silly thirteen-year-old girl would be beneath his notice. Should be beneath his notice. But as today and yesterday had taught him, she had walked into his heart and refused to leave. He couldn't break off their friendship, not if he tried. Trying to protect himself by letting her go wasn’t going to work either. It hurt both of them. He found himself caught between a rock and a hard place, and wondered if he should maybe date another girl to get his mind off Kagome.

Unable to sleep, he rolled over and grabbed his phone to send a quick text to the girl plaguing his thoughts.

_\-- Hey._

His phone lit up before he could put it back on his bedside table.  _Hey yourself. I can't sleep._

_\-- Neither can I._

_\-- Will you meet me at the shrine steps tomorrow?_

_\-- Of course._


	5. First Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Nishimura Sesshoumaru I thought you were more of a gentleman than that. I see I was wrong.” She flounced through the middle school gates, leaving him to watch her wondering where he went wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ree-san [on Dokuga] said something about how blind Kagome is and so this chapter is kind of her fault. It didn't exist, I was ready to jump ahead to Kagome starting high school with Sesshoumaru by her side...and then my story had other ideas. Kagome is totally taking Sesshoumaru's presence for granted, but he’s not gonna ask her out ‘cuz she’s still in middle school and…well, you’ll see. Thanks Mutnodjmet for bringing the age thing to my attention--I said five years because that's when he made the promise. When they were in elementary school together, it was more of a given that they'd wait for each other but now that he's at a different school, it's less of one.

In February of her eighth grade year, Kagome was asked on a date. Not by Sesshoumaru, who she desperately hoped would ask her, but by a boy in her class named Hojo. She wasn’t particularly into Hojo-kun, but he was nice enough, so she agreed to stop him bothering her, if nothing else. When she told Sesshoumaru about her date next Wednesday, he had to work  _very_  hard to hide his anger from her. He knew of Hojo, and did not like the boy. Sesshoumaru thought he was a simpering idiot, and told Kagome as much.

“I don’t like him that much, but he’s nice so I figured why not. It’s not like he’s going to kiss me or anything,” she replied flippantly.

 _But he might, Kagome. And I can’t stand the thought of it_. He sighed. “Dating someone from a sense of obligation is not the wisest idea.”

“What do you know of dating? You’ve never been on a date with a girl in your life,” Kagome retorted.

He had no reply to that, because it was true and painful, and it infuriated him. He resolved to rectify that immediately. “That is because no girl is worthy of this Sesshoumaru,” he said haughtily, trying to pretend that her words didn’t affect him.

 _Not even me?_  “You’re just telling yourself that ‘cause no girl has ever asked you out.”

“Clearly you have never seen my locker on Valentine’s Day.” He smirked. “Plenty of girls want to go out with me. I just do not want to go out with  _them_.”

Kagome rolled her eyes at him. “Who do you want to go out with then?”

He didn’t answer, his eyes focusing on something far in the distance.  _You, Kagome. I want to go out with you._

When Wednesday rolled around, Sesshoumaru waited for Kagome like normal. She burst out of the building and practically flew down the stairs. “I gotta get home, Sesshou-chan, Hojo-kun said he’s going to pick me up in an hour and a half. And I don’t know what to wear!” She groaned. “We’re going to dinner, and then going to see a movie. What can I even wear?”

“I do not know,” he replied stiffly. “But I do not believe it requires fancy dress.”

She glared at him. “I know  _that_ , but do I wear a dress? Do I wear jeans? I don’t like him that much, so maybe I shouldn’t put too much effort into this. But it’s still my first date! I want it to be memorable,” she wailed.

He bid her goodbye at the base of the shrine steps before practically running the rest of the way home. That night, he locked himself in his room and listened to angry music. When Kagome called after her date, he ignored it and every one of the eighteen texts that followed it. He would check them in the morning.

\---

> _\-- Sesshou-chan, why aren’t you answering your phone?_
> 
> _\-- Maybe you’re sleeping._
> 
> _\-- Do you want to hear about the date?_
> 
> _\-- It was awful, I’ll have you know._
> 
> _\-- The restaurant couldn’t get my order right, and we were late for the movie, which was some stupid vampire movie I didn’t want to watch anyway. And then Hojo wouldn’t stop touching me!_
> 
> _\-- He put his hand on my thigh during the opening credits and kept trying to move it up._
> 
> _\-- I kept moving it to my knee but he didn’t get the hint._
> 
> _\-- I’m never going on a date with that creep ever again._
> 
> _\-- Sesshou-chan?_
> 
> _\-- Did I make you mad?_
> 
> _\-- Whatever I did, I’m sorry._
> 
> _\-- I wish you’d respond._
> 
> _\-- I need someone to laugh at this with me, otherwise I’m gonna cry._
> 
> _\-- I can’t even tell Yuka-chan, she’s told me not to go!_
> 
> _\-- She’ll just say “I told you so” and be all happy that she was right about Hojo being creepy._
> 
> _\-- I should’ve listened to you, I’m sorry._
> 
> _\-- Please respond, Sesshou-chan. I miss you._
> 
> _\-- I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess. Goodnight._

He scrolled through her messages, his eyes seeing the text but not processing the words. He could feel the hurt rolling off her last messages to him, but he was oddly unaffected. He felt almost righteous in his anger at her, and he wasn’t looking forward to seeing her this morning but he knew she was expecting him, and he  _had_  promised only a few weeks ago that he wouldn’t leave her waiting alone.

Sesshoumaru stood and pulled on his school uniform before grabbing a granola bar and leaving to walk to Kagome’s house. She was descending the shrine steps as he arrived.

“Sesshou-chan.” She leveled an angry look at him. “I know you were awake last night, when I was texting you.”

“Hm?” He figured the best thing to do was play like he’d never received the texts.

“My date was horrible. And I just wanted someone to rant to about it, someone who could make it funny to me, but no. You didn’t respond, and I couldn’t talk to Yuka-chan about it because she was just going to be all ‘I told you so, Kagome-chan!’ and I didn’t want that.” She was on the edge of tears again. “I should’ve listened to you, Sesshou-chan, he was awful and so gross, and I’m never going to go on another date again.”

“Good.”

She stopped, a shocked and pained expression flashing across her face before she recovered her composure. “GOOD?!” she shrieked. “I SUFFERED THROUGH HOJO TRYING TO GROPE ME LAST NIGHT AND ALL YOU CAN SAY IS  ** _GOOD_**?!” She was  _furious._  The rest of the walk was short and silent, but incredibly tense. Kagome glared at her companion before lashing out at him. “Nishimura Sesshoumaru I thought you were more of a gentleman than that. I see I was wrong.” She flounced through the middle school gates, leaving him to watch her wondering where he went wrong.

\---

That afternoon, she walked straight past where he was leaning up against his usual tree, studiously ignoring him. He ran after her, catching her by the shoulder. “Kagome.”

“Sesshoumaru-san.” Her blue eyes, usually so warm, were icy cold as she turned her gaze to him.

 _Shit._  She was Not Happy. She  _never_  used –san with him, not unless she was introducing him to someone. He should’ve known she wouldn’t have gotten over her anger at him in only one day of school.

“I apologize. I was in the wrong.” He had never said those words aloud before. Not even when his father was trying to make him apologize for punching Inuyasha in the face…again.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you ignored me last night and were rude to me this morning.” She glared at him. “Don’t follow me. I don’t want to hear it.” Kagome turned away and began walking home. Sesshoumaru watched her leave him again, regretting everything he had done in the last twenty-four hours.

When he arrived home, he dumped his bag on the floor of his room and took advantage of his room’s balcony to get up onto the roof so he could think. He needed Kagome in his life, and he had a sneaking suspicion that she wanted nothing to do with him. Not that he could blame her—he’d been a massive jerk to her over this stupid date, and at the beginning of the year he’d broken a promise he’d made to her four years ago. Maybe he should agree to a date with Mizuki-hime, she’d been incredibly persistent over the last few years. And if he was going to date someone, she might as well be pretty. Besides, wasn’t Valentine’s day coming up?

\---

Sesshoumaru waited at the shrine steps for Kagome the next morning, only for Mrs. Higurashi to come down and tell him that Kagome had already left. Well. That made the decision for him. He was going to go to Mizuki-hime and ask her on a date. Kagome wouldn’t be happy, but he wasn’t sure if he cared anymore. His hurt was turning into anger, much more quickly than anyone would have expected.

At lunch, he approached Mizuki-hime and asked what she was doing on Valentine’s day. She was surrounded by a crowd of friends chattering noisily, but as soon as he asked the question every single one of the ten girls at the table fell silent.

Mizuki blushed prettily. “Why do you ask?”

“I was wondering if you would join me for dinner at Katsuro.” His voice was smooth and rich, like honeyed candy.

The table exploded in whispers. Katsuro was one of the fanciest restaurants in the neighborhood, and though it was common knowledge that the Nishimura family was absolutely  _loaded_ , it was still somewhat shocking that Sesshoumaru was so casual about asking a classmate to go with him.

“I would enjoy that very much. But isn’t it too late to get a reservation?” Mizuki tilted her head questioningly.

“The owner is a family friend. Do not worry about that. I can pick you up at six, unless you would prefer to meet at the restaurant.” He smiled at her.

“I—you can pick me up if you like. Let me give you my address—“ she said, pulling her notebook from her backpack and ripping a sheet out. She scribbled her address on the paper and handed it to Sesshoumaru. “Six, right?”

“Indeed. Six.” He folded the paper carefully and tucked it into his uniform jacket before walking away.

Mizuki could do nothing but stare after him in shock as her friends piled on questions at her. She couldn’t believe it. She’d had a huge crush on him for years, making him chocolates for Valentine’s day every year and receiving nothing on White Day in return, which was always a little heartbreaking, even though she knew he never gave anyone anything for White Day. But Sesshoumaru actually asked her on a date.  _Her!_  She knew he had an annoying little middle school friend that always hung around him—maybe he’d finally come to his senses and dropped her. The girl was probably sweet and kind, but Mizuki resented her closeness to Sesshoumaru. He didn’t let anyone in, ever, and the middle-schooler had somehow managed to worm her way through his cold exterior. According to her classmates who’d been in his class since elementary school, they’d been friends since his fourth-grade year, when the girl, a first-year at the time, had just walked up to him as though he was just like any other child.

She shook her head to clear her mind and focused on her notebook in front of her. Being jealous of a thirteen-year-old was ridiculous. Sesshoumaru had asked  _her,_  Mizuki, on a date, not the middle-schooler. Valentine’s day couldn’t come soon enough.

\---

Kagome stood in the kitchen of the Higurashi home, carefully pouring chocolate into a mold. She tapped the mold on the counter and set it aside to cool. She’d made chocolates for her friends for the first time last year, but Sesshoumaru was included in that group then. This year…this year was different. Not good-different. She wasn’t sure if she could include him in her chocolate-giving list this year. He hadn’t been waiting for her after school the past two weeks, which was simultaneously fine by her and painful. She didn’t want to see him, not after his reaction to her date with Hojo. How could anyone say “good” to that? He’d been a horrible creep, trying to feel her up like that, and Sesshoumaru was  _happy_  about it.

She’d heard from Yuka at lunch earlier today that Sesshoumaru was taking a girl in his year to Katsuro. That hurt more than the day he didn’t wait for her, if she was perfectly honest with herself. That alone was enough to make her consider not giving him chocolate, but… She didn’t want to give up on him. No matter how hard she tried to remember how his words had cut her, Kagome still wanted him to text her like nothing had happened.

Unfortunately, he was waiting for her to make the first move, to show her forgiveness, and she knew it. She had a sinking feeling that if he hadn’t asked Mizuki on a date she’d be much more willing to forgive him by now. She’d been so close to texting him at lunch—and then Yuka shattered her hopes with a single sentence.

Kagome wasn’t sure how to feel about her secret hope that his date went as well as hers did.

\---

A pale young man with silvery-white hair sat at a table with a black-haired beauty at an upscale restaurant called Katsuro. He’d managed a last-minute reservation thanks to his family connections, but he was starting to regret it. The girl sitting across from him could probably be deemed an adequate conversational partner, but he found he wasn’t particularly interested in hearing anything she had to say. Why was he on this date, anyway?

Another girl flashed through his mind, one with a broken look on her face as he’d said quite possibly the most callous thing he’d ever said in his life. He knew he should’ve been more sympathetic to her. She’d practically been  _assaulted_ , for chrissake. But when she said she was never going on a date again, he’d felt irrationally happy— _surely, she’d make an exception for him, right?_ —and he’d expressed that pleasure in the worst possible manner.

He blinked and tried to clear his thoughts. Mizuki was clearly asking him a question, he should probably listen. “…try to raise funds with a  _sakura_  viewing festival. What do you think of that?”

“Hm? A festival could be prohibitively expensive for the student body to run.” Sesshoumaru’s mind drifted to thoughts of account books. “How would it be funded?”

“I was thinking having student organizations paying a small fee for booths, and then we take a percentage of their profits.” Mizuki seemed quite pleased at her idea.

“How do you plan to enforce that?” He raised an eyebrow. “Surely the organizations would not be pleased at paying a fee and handing over a percentage of profits.”

Her face fell. “I..I wasn’t sure about that. Perhaps you had an idea?”

“A larger fee for booths, perhaps around ten thousand yen, and no profit-skimming would be my suggestion. What is your purpose in hosting the festival again?” He knew he’d been zoned out during that part of the conversation, and tried to play it off like it had just slipped his mind.

“Funding an end-of-year party for the graduating seniors. I’d like it to become a tradition—so that’s why I’m starting it now, so someone else can take care of it for us next year!” She laughed.

“Hm.” He glanced up at the waiter, delivering food to their table. “Have you polled the student body to see what their opinion is?”

“N-no, I was thinking…”

“Clearly you were not, if you began planning a fundraising festival for an event you were unsure was wanted.” He knew he was being a bit cold, but he didn’t care.

She turned her eyes down to her food and they ate in silence. As they stood after Sesshoumaru paid the bill, Mizuki bowed politely. “Thank you for the date, Sesshoumaru-san. You have given me much to think about.”

He inclined his head in return. “I am happy to be of service.” They walked out to a waiting car, and Sesshoumaru helped her in. “I am afraid that I will not be accompanying you home, Mizuki-san. My father has requested my presence at his office.” He turned his focus to the man in the driver’s seat. “Driver-san, I will accompany my father home, so there is no need to return for me.”

“This late? On Valentine’s Day?” She couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“Indeed. He does not care much for holidays, unfortunately. I will see you at school tomorrow?”

Mizuki blushed. “Yes, of course, Sesshoumaru-san.”

He closed the door gently and walked off in the vague direction of his father’s office building as the car pulled away. Mr. Nishimura hadn’t actually requested his presence, he just desperately needed time alone to think. Luckily, there was a park with a river running alongside it nearby. He wandered onto the grass and found a suitable tree to sit under. Sesshoumaru stared up at the night sky through the barren branches, lost in thoughts of the girl he lost before he even had a chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bumping up the rating with this chapter K->T ‘cuz Hojo’s gross and does the same thing to Kagome that one of my exes did to me at the movie dates we went on. Bonus points for guessing what movie we saw—I reference it very obliquely. Oh! and the park I mention at the end is somewhat inspired by Hamachou Park in Tokyo, but that's about where the resemblance ends.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'Watch me,' Sesshoumaru thought. 'I can do as I please, and if that includes avoiding Kagome…'
> 
> Of course, he was quite wrong. A tall man with silvery-white hair and a glacial demeanor cannot hide in a crowd, especially when he is seated next to an equally tall man with identical hair and an air of superiority.

Kagome stood before the gates of the high school, gazing up at the building. She’d envisioned this day differently when she was younger—she’d thought Sesshoumaru would be here beside her as he’d been when she started middle school. She hadn’t talked to him at all in a year and a half, though, and found his absence weighed heavily on her mind.

Inuyasha walked up to her and gently smacked her head. “Oi, Kags, whatcha waitin’ for? The bell’s gonna ring any minute now.”

Kagome sighed, snapped out of her reverie by her somewhat uncouth friend. “Just thinking, Yasha-kun,” she said softly.

“About what? The bastard again?” He sniffed as they walked through the doors. “You waste way too much time on him.”

“Maybe.” She didn’t elaborate. Her friends Yuka and Ayumi caught up to her and Inuyasha, and her three friends chattered animatedly about their summers. Kagome had spent hers fulfilling the duties of a shrine maiden, much to the happiness of her grandfather. He desperately wanted her to take over the shrine, and Kagome had to admit she didn’t want to see it fall into the hands of another family, not when hers had held it for so long.

Sesshoumaru was starting university today, she knew. She didn’t know where he was going for university, and she doubted Inuyasha cared enough to know. Only now, a year and a half later, did she regret her hotheadedness. Sesshoumaru had been her closest friend and a moment of jealousy and fury had caused a spectacular implosion of the friendship. His number was probably still the same, but she was reluctant to text him. Either she’d seem desperate or it would be horribly awkward, trying to pretend like the blowout never happened.

Maybe if she could just… “run into” him? But where did he like hanging out? She resolved to ask Inuyasha.

\---

 _Singapore._  He’d gone to Singapore, of all places. She swore. Was it too much to hope that he would return to Tokyo for graduate school? Or would he end up taking over a branch of his father’s company in Singapore? She’d asked Inuyasha to casually keep tabs on him for her, a favor to which he grudgingly agreed, after Kagome promised she’d convince her cousin Kikyo to go on a date with him. They’d met at a Higurashi family cookout. Inuyasha had been in attendance because Mr. Nishimura had all but disappeared from his sons’ lives, and the Higurashi family had essentially adopted the boy into their family, much like they’d adopted his older half-brother so many years before.

\---

Sesshoumaru slid gracefully into a seat in the lecture hall where his first university class was held. He was a little unsure of his ability for the first time in…for the first time he could remember, actually. Classes at National University Singapore were entirely taught in English and while his English grades in high school had been nothing less than stellar, the specialized language he needed for his course was something he’d been forced to learn on his own time. High school English classes rarely covered complex mathematical concepts.

His thoughts drifted across the South and East China Seas to Tokyo. Kagome was starting high school today, and he’d chosen NUS specifically to get out of Tokyo, and away from her. He’d thrown himself into his final year of study, ensuring he had perfect grades, and he had a sinking feeling he’d just barely managed to squeak into NUS. Every person he’d met during orientation had a seemingly-perfect grasp of English (he didn’t think about the fact that the people he’d met had all been at NUS for at least a year) and when he’d asked about his physicist roommate’s research, his head had been left spinning. At least the graduate student was a quiet, studious person. It meant Sesshoumaru could concentrate on success.

The professor walked in, and all traces of Kagome faded from his mind as he glanced down at the syllabus he’d already printed. Sesshoumaru watched the professor set up his lecture slides, and was pleasantly surprised when he realized that his grasp of English was better than he’d thought. At least, his ability to parse spoken English was better. By the end of his first lecture that sinking feeling had returned. He resolved to print out the cheat sheet he’d found earlier and tape it into his notebook. He stood when the professor dismissed class, and dazedly walked off to find a coffeeshop where he could sit and review the unfamiliar English words used in the lecture.

\---

Kagome’s final day of high school came alarmingly quickly. She had applied to a few universities—Hitotsubashi University and University of Tsubaka being her top two choices. She didn’t think her grades were good enough for Tokyo University, but she’d applied anyway when her mother had given her a Look. Mrs. Higurashi was the only person that could out-stubborn Kagome, and both women knew it.

She skipped home from school, glad of the warm weather and clear skies. Kagome loved the rain and the snow, but nothing beat a beautiful sunny spring day. She checked the mailbox at the base of the shrine steps and found two thick envelopes inside. As she climbed the stairs, she read the return addresses.  _University of Tsubaka…and Tokyo University?_  She stopped dead in her tracks, unable to believe what she was holding. Thick packets meant acceptance. Thin packets meant denial. Everyone knew that. And there she stood, Higurashi Kagome, who had barely graduated high school (and not for lack of trying), holding a thick packet from Tokyo University.

She ran up the rest of the steps and burst into the house, cheering happily. “Mom! Mom! Guess what, guess what, guess what! I got two acceptance letters today!”

“That’s wonderful, Kagome!” Mrs. Higurashi said, drying her hands on a tea-towel tucked into her apron as she emerged from the kitchen. “Who accepted your applications?”

“University of Tsubaka—and you’re not gonna believe this—Tokyo University!” Kagome held out the envelopes proudly.

“I knew you could get in,” Mrs. Higurashi said, smiling gently at her daughter. “I tell you what—you can choose what’s for dinner tonight. We can even go out to celebrate.”

“You’re kidding. Anywhere?” Kagome’s jaw dropped.

“Well, within reason,” her mother laughed. “I’ve still got to pay your tuition!”

Kagome’s grandfather descended the stairs. “What’s all this racket?”

“Jii-chan, jii-chan, I got into Tokyo University!” Mrs. Higurashi passed Kagome’s acceptance packet to her father so he could examine it, and went back into the kitchen.

“I knew my prayers to the gods would work,” he said smugly. “The  _kami_  always listen when you ask them properly. Now, you’ve got no choice but to help me this summer!”

“What?” Kagome looked at him strangely.

“I asked the gods to give you help on your entrance exam, and they agreed if you’d officially become the  _miko_  of the Higurashi shrine for one year and one day.” Jii-chan looked very proud of himself.

“I can’t believe you’d promise my services without asking me first!” Kagome cried. “That’s so rude, jii-chan.”

“Ah, but do you want the shrine to fall into disrepair?” His eyes twinkled mischievously.

“No,” Kagome said sullenly. “I’ll help.”

“And aren’t you going to be studying Japanese folklore? That will come in handy with the tourists.”

Kagome brightened. “True! Maybe I’ll be able to tell the stories without the tourists falling asleep in the middle,” she teased.

“Respect your elders, girl,” Jii-chan replied, pretending to bristle at Kagome’s disrespect. He broke the angry act quickly and smiled at her. “I am glad to see you have your father’s fire in you. It brings much comfort to your mother, you know. You take after her so much, she was worried she would lose all memory of your father.”

Kagome blushed. “Jii-chan!”

He handed her the acceptance packet. “Now, go up to your room and tell them yes!” he commanded, shaking his finger at his granddaughter. “You will bring much honor to our family and our shrine. And maybe we’ll have a resurgence of tourists with my pretty young granddaughter sweeping the grounds.”

“Jii-chan…stoooop. No arranging marriages for me. That’s not proper anymore.” Kagome went up the stairs to her room, laughing all the way.

\---

Sesshoumaru gazed out of the plane window. His father had requested his presence for Inuyasha’s high school graduation. The Nishimura patriarch needed to keep up the appearance of a close and happy family to please the board members. Not that they were ever a close and happy family, at least not after Sesshoumaru’s mother learned of her husband’s mistress. These years away from his father’s heavy-handed control had been good for him, he thought. His bitterness towards Inuyasha had dulled, his anger at his father no longer cutting him life a freshly-sharpened chef’s knife.

Sesshoumaru had graduated two weeks ago, his father watching from the wings. The old man had approached his son for a handshake, said something brief about expecting him back in Tokyo to work for the family business, and left. Never mind that there was no position where his skills would be useful in the family business, it was just  _expected_  that he would continue in his father’s footsteps. Sesshoumaru had given in when Mr. Nishimura demanded he undertake a graduate degree in business management at Tokyo University, where he could work part-time as the CEO’s assistant. Being his father’s assistant put a bitter taste into Sesshoumaru’s mouth, but while mathematical research was interesting, he had no desire to be stuck teaching basic concepts to undergraduate students. Between the two options, he’d gone with the business degree.

As the plane landed, he turned his phone back on to see a text from his younger half-brother.

\-- _I know you’re coming to my graduation. You can’t avoid Kagome forever, ya know._

 _Watch me_ , Sesshoumaru thought. _I can do as I please, and if that includes avoiding Kagome…_

Of course, he was quite wrong. A tall man with silvery-white hair and a glacial demeanor cannot hide in a crowd, especially when he is seated next to an equally tall man with identical hair and an air of superiority. The Nishimura men cut a beautiful figure, Kagome admitted to herself. Not just Sesshoumaru—his beautiful icy-cold looks clearly came from his father, and Inuyasha was rougher but equally handsome.

Unfortunately for her, she fell in love with the glacial older brother. Even years after everything, she still pined for him. Every single boy she’d dated in high school was measured up to Sesshoumaru— _while he’d been nice and not a jealous asshole,_  she thought—and none of them matched the gentlemanly manner he'd displayed before the whole dating debacle. High school boys, she determined, were universally coarse and disgusting, and she vowed that she would  _not_  under  _any_  circumstances date in university. The boys there were unlikely to be any better.

Kagome spent most of the graduation ceremony staring in Sesshoumaru’s direction. If he noticed her eyes on him, he didn’t reveal it, but surely he could feel her stare? As she walked across the stage, a smile plastered across her face, she wondered what he was thinking. She sat back down, and resumed looking at her first love. Her eyes flicked to the stage to watch Inuyasha walk, and she clapped and cheered for her friend as his name was called. When she looked back to where the Nishimura men were seated, Sesshoumaru had disappeared. Her heart sank, and she turned back to watching the stage with a slight frown on her face. She dutifully clapped and cheered for her other friends, but her enthusiasm had clearly diminished.

Afterwards, when the graduates and family descended on the lobby and parking lot to find each other, she and Inuyasha went looking for her family together. Kagome, too preoccupied with trying to find her mother, ran directly into someone. She looked up, and her eyes widened.

_Sesshoumaru…_

He glanced down at her and swept away, as though he didn’t even recognize her. Kagome felt her heart break. Inuyasha turned to see why she’d stopped, just as her eyes started to fill with tears. “Kagome! What’s wrong?”

“He…he was here.”

“The bastard?”

“I wish you wouldn’t call him that,” she said, drying her eyes delicately. “I ran into him. He looked at me like he had no idea who I was.”

“You’ve changed a lot in five years, ‘Gome,” Inuyasha said hurriedly. “Maybe he didn’t recognize ya. Ya don't exactly look like ya did at thirteen, especially not in these baggy potato sacks.” He held his graduation gown away from his body as if to prove his point.

“Or maybe he did, and he hates me so much he doesn’t even want to say excuse me.” Her voice was watery, and it was becoming harder to find bits of tissue to dab at her eyes with so she didn’t ruin her eye makeup.

“Don’t let him ruin tonight for you, ‘Gome. You graduated high school, you got into Tokyo University…you’ve got a lot to be proud of.” Inuyasha tried to soothe his best friend. “I’m proud of you,” he offered.

Kagome sniffled. “Thanks, ‘Yasha. I needed the reminder. Say, do you think Kikyo came?” He had been dating her cousin on-again-off-again over the entirety of their high school years, and they were currently in one of the weird in-between stages.

Inuyasha’s expression turned wistful. “I hope so.” They resumed their search for Kagome’s mother, and were quickly successful. Kikyo, Souta, and Jii-chan had all accompanied her, but none were as happy as Mrs. Higurashi, who very nearly tackled her daughter. She clutched Kagome tightly, sobbing happily.

“Oh, I wish your father could have been here to see this, his daughter graduating and going to Tokyo University, he would be so proud,” she managed to say through her tears.

“Now, now, Kaori-chan, you’re getting Kagome’s dress wet,” Mrs. Higurashi's father scolded halfheartedly. “But you’re right, he’d be exceedingly proud. Especially since you're becoming a proper  _miko_ , finally!” He clapped his hands, a devious gleam in his eyes.

Kikyo stepped up to Inuyasha. “Congratulations.” Her voice was soft, her eyes evaluating him.

He scratched the back of his head. “Aw, Kikyo, you knew I was gonna graduate. Dad won’t let me get anything less than a B.”

“Yes,” she said, “but with honors is something to be proud of.”

Inuyasha blushed, and offered his arm to Kikyo, as the family headed toward the train station to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The universities mentioned in this chapter are all very real. NUS is ranked incredibly highly, and I thought Sesshoumaru was the sort to go international if it meant he could get the best education possible, but I figured he would stay close to home, whether by choice or by parental interference. Unfortunately for our favorite silver-haired iceberg-man, Japanese math-words and English math-words are very different. Poor boy really needed that cheat sheet!
> 
> Hitotsubashi University and University of Tsubaka are both located in Tokyo, and I figured Kagome would consider those more within her reach than Tokyo University. In my mind, her grades aren't as awful as she thinks, but she did struggle in math, which is why she barely graduated. Not having Sesshoumaru around to help her made math class exceedingly difficult for her.
> 
> Anyways, I've got to go write their explosive reintroduction at Tokyo University. Thank you so much for the reviews, and if you've got any ideas for just how badly Sesshoumaru f*'s up when he next runs into Kagome, let me know. He's not gonna make it easy on her, that's for sure. They never seem to be willing to reconcile at the same time. An author's worst nightmare, really, but it's GREAT for dragging it out.


	7. University

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bell over the door chimed as it opened, drawing Kagome’s eyes to the customer entering. He had silver-white hair and…oh dear. It was Sesshoumaru. Kagome glanced down at the table, but not quickly enough. Their eyes had met for half a second, and she knew, deep inside her gut, that he recognized her this time. Just as she had resumed flipping through Northern Fairy Tales, a shadow loomed over her. … Kagome wondered how to say “I think I fell in love with you a long time ago and I haven’t been able to get over you.”

Kagome’s first day at Tokyo University just so happened to be the same day Sesshoumaru began his master’s degree at the same school. Her small friend group had separated for university, with Yuka and Eri heading north to Aomori and Hokkaido respectively and Ayumi traveling south to Kyoto. Kagome stayed in Tokyo, mostly because she’d felt an obligation to stay home and help out with the shrine. Of course, the day she found out she was accepted to both University of Tsubaka and Tokyo University, her jii-chan had revealed he’d promised she would spend the next year and a day of her life in service to the kami as a miko.

She was studying Japanese folklore as part of the Japanese Language major. Kagome figured it would be interesting, to see how someone else taught and interpreted the stories her jii-chan had told her when she was little. She’d loved the story about the miko who saved the world from an evil hanyou who had managed to get a hold of a powerful magical artifact. The girl had traveled with a ragtag group of adventurers, all of whom had their own reasons for hunting down the evil hanyou—a  _taijiya_ , a monk, a nice, if uncouth hanyou who had loved the previous guardian of the artifact, and a fox youkai kit. Kagome had begged for the story again and again, and she was pretty sure jii-chan seriously regretted ever telling the story to her in the first place.

She sat in a coffeeshop after her first class, paging through a book of collected fairy tales from Hokkaido and Aomori. Most of them were familiar to her, in one form or another. But one of them stilled her hand.  _The Tale of Midoriko and How the Shikon no Tama was Created_. Hm. Interesting. It sounded familiar, so she kept reading.

\---

> _A long, long time ago, when youkai still roamed the land and the skies were a deep bright blue, a powerful miko was born. She was named_   _Midoriko, and the kami paid a visit to her mother. They touched her daughter’s brow and blessed her with a kind heart and a strong will. That day, Midoriko’s fate was determined, though she did not know it._
> 
> _Midoriko was not a village miko, as most miko of the time were. She travelled from village to village, slaying evil youkai and healing villagers as she went. One day, a young inu youkai approached her. He was the Lord of the Western Lands, and he had heard of a travelling miko whose power was unmatched. Midoriko was suspicious of the Lord, for she had encountered many crude youkai males by this time, but his kindness to her softened her distrust and the two became companions. The Lord would accompany her so long as she was in the West, and in return she would tell him stories and spar with him. He was unfamiliar with human folklore, and desired to know more._
> 
> _Many years passed, with Midoriko travelling up and down the island of Honshu. She passed through the Western Lands occasionally, always stopping by the Western shiro to pay a visit to the Lord. Her final visit was fifteen years after her previous, and she had changed a great deal in that time. Her hair was grey, her face showing its years spent in the sun. The Lord did not recognize her until she identified herself as Midoriko. Then, he knew she was the miko whom he had traveled with in her youth, though her face was lined with age. She had become bitter in the ten years since she had last seen the Lord, having had her trust broken one too many times._
> 
> _The Lord could not heal her broken spirit, and regretfully he parted ways with the miko. She embarked upon a quest sent in a dream by one she believed was Nyoirin-Kannon, a quest to find a jewel that could fulfill any wish. She traveled to Hokkaido, venturing far, far north to the coast of Wakkanai, and far, far south, to Mount Komagatake. But she could not find the jewel. So Midoriko found a temple, and fell to her knees before the altar, asking Nyoirin-Kannon where the wish-granting jewel lay._
> 
> _“My child,” the god said, “you have not yet gone into the caves of Otaki?”_
> 
> _Midoriko hung her head in shame. “No, Nyoirin-Kannon-sama,” she said. “I have only climbed the mountains.”_
> 
> _So he bade her search the Caves of Otaki, and she did so. But as she was leaving the caves, three demons attacked her. As she fell to the demons, she worked a powerful piece of magic, that created a jewel to trap the three demons where they could not harm another person. The magic was indiscriminatory, however, and pulled Midoriko into the jewel along with the demons, and Nyoirin-Kannon was pleased when he learned Midoriko had created the same wish-granting jewel she sought. It had not existed until she created it, and so Nyoirin-Kannon picked it up and that is how the Shikon no Tama, a wish-granting jewel, was created and came to be carried by Nyoirin-Kannon._
> 
> _He bequeathed the jewel to a powerful miko who found his favor when he tired of holding it, and was passed from priestess to priestess until an evil hanyou named Naraku acquired it, but that is a story for another time._

_\---_

Kagome traced the illustration of Midoriko being pulled into the jewel opposite the final page of the story. Something about this felt familiar to her, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. She shrugged, and picked up her coffee to sip it. She knew the story connected to her favorite legend, the tale of the miko who saved the world. Maybe she could research them for her senior thesis?

The bell over the door chimed as it opened, drawing Kagome’s eyes to the customer entering. He had silver-white hair and…oh dear. It was Sesshoumaru. Kagome glanced down at the table, but not quickly enough. Their eyes had met for half a second, and she knew, deep inside her gut, that he recognized her this time.

She slowly relaxed as he got in line, ordered, and waited for his drink. Just as she had resumed flipping through Northern Fairy Tales, a shadow loomed over her. Kagome looked up.

“Higurashi-san.” Not a question, but a statement. She gestured to the empty seat across from her.

“H-how have you been?” She blushed as her tongue stumbled over her words.

“Busy.” He looked at her with a gold amber gaze as he sat, one she had seen so much warmth in when they were younger. “You attend Tokyo University?”

Her blush deepened. “Yes, I’m a Japanese Literature major.”

“That is unsurprising.” For someone who started the conversation, he certainly wasn’t doing a good job of facilitating it.

“What about you? I heard you were in Singapore…”

“I was attending National University Singapore. I graduated with top honors in May.”

“Oh! Congratulations. Your father must be proud.” She smiled at him, only barely noticing how he tensed ever so slightly when she mentioned his father.

“I would not know,” he bit out. “He only stayed long enough to tell me I was to begin working at the Tokyo office on the third of July.”

“Oh.” She fell silent. “What did you major in?”

“Mathematics.”

“Ahh, I wish you had stayed here, I could have used your help in high school!” Her eyes twinkled.

“Is that all?” Where his eyes had been closed off and icy, they now burned with anger.

“What?”

“Was I only ever a math tutor to you?”

“What?! No! You were my best friend. Until…” She didn’t need to finish that sentence. He knew what she referred to. “Until you weren’t. I missed you.”

He inclined his head, the fire of anger dying. “I had wondered.”

 _About what? Your relationship to me, or whether I missed you?_  Kagome turned her eyes back down to her book, flipping a few pages.

“Why are you here?” she asked a few long moments later.

“I had two options. Find work as a mathematician, or pursue higher education in a different field.”

“I’m assuming you’re not teaching.” While he’d been a good and patient tutor with her, she knew he would probably murder an entire class of thirteen-year-olds. Or university students, come to think of it.

“No.”

Kagome smiled. “So what are you studying?”

“Business management, to appease my father. If nothing else I will be able to take control of the company someday. I am already on the board.” He took a long sip of his coffee.

They fell silent, and Kagome wondered how to say “ _I think I fell in love with you a long time ago and I haven’t been able to get over you._ ” She busied her hands playing with a spoon.

“You are still fidgety,” he observed. “Do you have anything to say?” Her ‘tells’ hadn’t changed a bit since she was thirteen and he fell hopelessly in love with her. He knew every single one, which kind of freaked Kagome out when he knew what she was thinking before she even thought it.

“I’m sorry for what I said. When I was thirteen, I mean. I was young and angry and—“ He held up a hand to stop her.

“I am deeply sorry for how cruelly I treated you that year. Had I stopped to  _think_ —“ Sesshoumaru sighed. “I would not have hurt you, multiple times. I was blinded by—“ He stopped, unable to admit exactly  _what_  stopped him.

“Emotions?” Kagome said softly. Just as he knew her, she knew him, could read him. Something had closed off his eyes, but those walls crumbled away as he spoke. She saw everything—the regret, the passion, the desperation, the plea for forgiveness.

He inclined his head, turning his eyes to the lid of his coffee cup.

In that moment, she made her decision. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahaha! Cliffhanger! I’m so sorry. There’s gonna be another part, I promise. Just gotta think of it first. And no matter how much I wanted him to be a jerk, Sesshoumaru was NOT cooperating. Hmph. Lovesick puppy, that's what he is...
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the fairy-tale. I spent way too long finding a kami that was either a) a trickster sort, b) an angry sort, or c) an all-around-evil sort. I was also trying to find one specific to northern Japan but I'm only barely able to read hiragana, and there's very very few English sources.
> 
> Kannon is a bodhisattva originally from South Asia who found his way over to Japan through Buddhism. There are depictions of him dating back to the Heian era, and the aspect called Nyoirin-Kannon is depicted holding a jewel. If you'd like to know more the JAANUS database at aisf.org.jp is where I got my information.
> 
> I also picked northern Japan for the fairy tales because I figured Kagome would be less familiar with their local legends, as there's not many major cities in the north and Hokkaido in particular was originally settled by the Ainu people and not considered a part of Japan until relatively recently. Aomori Prefecture is also near and dear to my heart, and if you're interested in travelling to Japan at all, absolutely consider going there.


	8. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Kagome was going to be perfectly honest with herself, she hadn’t expected to run into Nishimura Sesshoumaru at the coffee shop on Tuesday. She *definitely* hadn’t expected that he would want to talk to her. And she was absolutely floored that he’d requested they have a weekly coffee date to get to know each other, but not as shocked as she’d been to hear herself agree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few tiny edits have been made to words here and there and Naraku has been made even more creeptastic.

If Kagome was going to be perfectly honest with herself, she hadn’t expected to run into Nishimura Sesshoumaru at the coffee shop on Tuesday. She  _definitely_  hadn’t expected that he would want to talk to her. And she was absolutely floored that he’d requested they have a weekly coffee date to get to know each other, but not as shocked as she’d been to hear herself agree. It had been an out-of-body experience, and while she didn’t regret her answer, she did sort of wish that her conscious mind had been in control.

Her phone buzzed on the desk beside her stack of print-outs.

She ignored it.

It buzzed again.

She growled at it, tapping her highlighter against the desk angrily.

The third time it buzzed, she snatched it up, furious. “Who the  _hell_  is—“

> _Messages—now. Setsu-tan:_
> 
> _\--  Inuyasha has informed me that your number has remained unchanged._
> 
> _\-- This one hopes he has not lied._
> 
> _\-- Should my brother be incorrect, this Sesshoumaru apologizes for the inconvenience._

She couldn’t help but crack a smile. All these years and he hadn’t really changed much. Hell, she’d forgotten that he had that stupid nickname as his contact name in her phone. She’d changed it one day, when she’d called him cute and he’d gotten mad. Of course, she’d had to make his usual nickname even cuter, and…well, the result was right there on her phone screen.

> \-- _Inuyasha didn’t lie, Setsu-tan. My number’s the same as ever._
> 
> _\-- He will not die this evening, but you might. I thought you had forgotten that nickname._
> 
> _\-- It’s been your contact name in my phone since seventh grade, Sesshou-chan, I wasn’t going to forget it._  

Kagome smiled. She’d played with fire when she’d used it, but he seemed strangely okay with it. Maybe he  _had_ changed, and she privately hoped that he was a bit less possessive. Or at least that he was a bit more communicative. She could deal with possessive if he at least  _talked_  to her.

In the privacy of his home, Sesshoumaru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

> \-- _You are absolutely infuriating._
> 
> _\-- Yes, but you like it._

He had to admit, she was right. She was infuriating and charming and dazzling and he wouldn’t have her any other way. He was impressed at how easily they fell back into their old patterns. His apology at the coffee shop had done wonders, it seemed.

> \--  _Do not forget, coffee on Tuesday at three. Unless you would like to meet before then?_
> 
> _\-- Did you have anywhere in mind?_
> 
> _\-- There is always the diner across the street from our high school. If it is still there, at least._
> 
> _\-- Yep. Saturday, 2 PM?_
> 
> _\-- Would you like me to walk with you?_
> 
> _\-- You still remember where I live?_
> 
> _\-- I could never forget._

Kagome smiled. He’d been a right asshole about her date with Hojo, which had resulted in a mutual shut-out, but for weeks afterwards she would occasionally catch a glimpse of him standing by the shrine gates, gazing up at her house.  _It’s a date, then_ , she tapped out.

> \--  _Is that an offer?_
> 
> _\-- Only if you want it to be._
> 
> _\-- Then, Higurashi Kagome, it is a date._

Quite frankly, she was amazed at how easy it was to talk to him. After four and a half years of pointedly ignoring each other, a chance meeting had rekindled a friendship she’d thought utterly destroyed. It was weird, but Kagome didn’t question it. People said time heals all wounds, and while she hadn’t necessarily believed it, if the fates willed it, so it would be. And she was not about to fight having her best friend back in her life.

There’d been an oddly-shaped hole in her high school days, a hole that strangely resembled Sesshoumaru in shape and size. She’d dated a string of boys, trying to prove to herself that she was over him, but none of them were quite right.

Kouga was too brash and rough around the edges _…and a horrible kisser to boot_ , she thought in hindsight. Their friendship hadn’t survived the relationship, but she didn’t mind. He’d always been more of Inuyasha’s friend anyway. Then, Inuyasha had introduced her to a group of boys that, in their teenage efforts to seem edgy and badass, called themselves the Band of Seven.

Bankotsu and Suikotsu had both taken an interest in her, and she had thrown caution to the wind and dated them both at the same time. Weirdly enough, they didn’t seem to mind it. In fact, it had almost improved the relationship experience, as each boy wanted to outdo the other in grand romantic gestures. The relationship had imploded pretty spectacularly when Renkotsu had taken offense to Bankotsu and Suikotsu spending more time with Kagome than with the rest of the boys, and, in a massive blowout fight that rivaled the ones between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, Kagome had thrown a towel in Suikotsu’s face (literally) and ended the relationship with both of them.

After that, she saw a handful of different boys, none for more than a date or two. They just couldn’t hold her interest, and now she could barely remember their names.

She’d made a colossal mistake when she agreed to go to a festival with Hiten. Sure, he’d started off sweet enough but six months later, he was shouting at her and calling her all sorts of names. It had taken her another year to finally break free, and once she had, she’d fallen right into another abusive relationship, this time with a slimy older man named Naraku, who took advantage of her emotional turmoil. Just thinking about him made her skin crawl. Between him and Hiten, she’d been tormented and very nearly emotionally broken, and it was only because of her mother that she’d managed to escape.

The last year of her life, she’d spent wondering what was wrong with her. She refused to even entertain the idea of dating anyone, and had outright refused both Valentine’s and White Day gifts from multiple classmates. Her last two relationships had left deep scars, the abuse heaped on her by both Hiten and Naraku echoing through her subconscious. She’d done a bit of therapy, but wasn’t entirely sure how effective it was, and had stopped when she turned eighteen.

Now that Sesshoumaru had returned to her life, it seemed like a curtain had been pulled back and a bright light was shining on everything she’d ignored since eighth grade. She was hopelessly in love with Sesshoumaru, and had been for years. Not that she’d been able to recognize that in high school, but his absence had taught her so much. It wasn’t that she was incomplete without him, rather, he added to her, and she to him. Hiten had completely shattered her belief in soulmates, but after this afternoon’s text exchange with her oldest and best friend, she wasn’t entirely sure anymore.

It felt so  _right_  to be chatting and joking with Sesshoumaru, as if the years they’d spent ignoring each other never happened. They’d said their apologies and moved on, and neither one wanted to dwell on the hurt and regret any longer. Kagome was determined that he’d never leave her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t get me wrong, I desperately wanted to drag the angst out. I let the damn chapter sit for a **month** trying to figure out how to make the angst exist. But they wanted to reconcile, and honestly in my experience, if you’re truly best friends, you can strike up a conversation after years and it’s just like nothing happened, even if you had a massive fight. Both parties here were willing to forgive and move on, and each made their apologies in the last chapter. Had Sesshoumaru not gone on that damned Valentine’s Day date, they would’ve reconciled much, much sooner, but thirteen-year-old girls are not known for their rationality.
> 
> For more clarification on the relationship timeline… Kagome dated Kouga during the summer between eighth and ninth grades. Bankotsu and Suikotsu were from midway through her ninth grade year to about a month before the end of it. Then, her string of nameless, unremarkable boys. She began tenth grade with Hiten, and finally escaped him midway through her eleventh grade year. Naraku was her rebound that went on way too long, and that relationship ended about six months later.
> 
> Now, as a reward for waiting patiently (or is it penance for me taking so long?) I have a really sweet little conversation between our lovebirds, before their massive fight. I had it initially in chapter 5, I think, but I needed angst, not fluff.


	9. Adorable Killer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "My father did not name me Sesshoumaru so you could call me Setsu-tan."  
> "Too bad. You're stuck with it, Setsu-tan."

Kagome groaned. All she’d asked was if he would walk her to school the next morning! He was so  _insufferable_ , with his insistence on using the politest language he could without being rude. Granted, she thought it charming, but sometimes, it was frustrating. She pushed her frustration to the side, though, choosing to push her best friend’s buttons instead.

> _\-- You're so formal, Sesshou-chan. It's cute._
> 
> _\-- I am not_ cute _. Do not use that word to describe me again._
> 
> _\-- I'll describe you how I want to, Setsu-tan._
> 
> _\-- ...I did not think it could get worse. I was incorrect in that thought. 'Setsu-tan' is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen._
> 
> _\-- Is that a challenge?_
> 
> _\-- You are infuriating._
> 
> _\-- Ah, but you're so easy to provoke, Setsu-tan._
> 
> _\-- I will make my name a reality if you continue referring to me by that infernal name._
> 
> _\-- Fine, be mean._

_\---_

A few weeks later, Kagome was texting Sesshoumaru again, complaining about her math homework.

> _\-- It doesn't make sense, Setsu-tan!_
> 
> _\-- What did I say about calling me that?_

She ignored his complaint, as she had dozens of times before, and proceeded to change his contact name in her phone. 

> _\-- You're Setsu-tan in my phone now. You're welcome._
> 
> _\-- My father did not name me Sesshoumaru so you could call me Setsu-tan._
> 
> _\-- Too bad. You're stuck with it, Setsu-tan._

Sesshoumaru pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. Why did he talk to this girl again?  

> \--  _I never thought I would ever_ want _to be called Sesshou-chan. My mind has changed._
> 
> _\-- Well, Sesshou-chan is your name, Setsu-tan is your nickname._
> 
> _\-- My name is not Sesshou-chan, Kagome._
> 
> _\-- It is to me! I've called you Sesshou-chan for forever._
> 
> _\-- I suppose._

Ah. Yeah. She had approached him when he was a very lonely child, and saw through his stoic face to find the hurt little boy within, and she wasn't afraid of befriending him. She was infuriating, but for some reason, he didn't mind. Her ability to love anything and everything extended to him, something that continuously amazed him. She'd made him into a better person, quite honestly, and if he didn't know better, he'd have thought he was falling in love with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? Fluff! Too fluffy for the angst-ridden middle school years, but I love it. Setsu-tan comes from m-skirvin's breakdown of Sesshoumaru's name in their deviantART journal. His name has three kanji, the first of which is 'setsu' and its meaning is 'to kill with a weapon.' -tan is a ridiculously cutesy honorific, generally used with babies or really cutesy characters, and Sesshoumaru is neither. I love the contrast of the nickname so much. 


	10. First Date, But Together This Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “G—good night, Sesshou-chan.” She stumbled into her house, blushing fiercely. “Will you come in?”  
> “No, sadly. Tonight, I must keep my dreams of you just that—dreams.”

Kagome rested her chin on her hand, using the other to idly stir her drink. She’d  _finally_  gotten Sesshoumaru to say more than a bare handful of words by asking him exactly how his undergraduate degree had gone, even though she didn’t understand a word of what he’d actually learned. Math never had been her strong suit. But there was a sparkle in his eyes, as he talked excitedly—for Sesshou-chan, at least—about theorems and mathematicians and equations, and for her, that was enough. She smiled at him, enjoying the time she was spending reconnecting with her oldest and best friend.

Despite the long period of time they’d gone without talking, she’d been able to fall back into their old patterns, but without the secrecy of their love for each other. She’d forgotten how much she loved the sound of his voice, rich and warm like honey, and the way his eyes shone when he was talking about something he loved. They gleamed a beautiful amber in the low lighting of the private little dining nook Sesshoumaru had reserved. He’d requested they reschedule for the evening, and Kagome readily agreed. “I want our first date to be more than just a diner meal,” he’d said, and she was secretly happy about that. She wouldn’t have  _minded_  a diner-lunch-date, but it felt so juvenile, almost, compared to a proper dinner at a sit-down restaurant.

He was telling her a story about a time when he’d run into a professor at a run-down noodle shop on the wrong end of town, and the two of them had talked long into the night. He’d gotten an offer for supervision for a graduate degree from that professor, but had to decline. “The family business must take precedence, after all,” he said, almost bitterly.

“But you don’t have to get involved as CEO, Sesshou-chan—you can always go into accounting or something on the numbers side of things. Research, even. I’m sure there’s a branch of Nishimura International that does…oh, I don’t know, I never looked into math careers.” She looked flustered. “Like I said, I very nearly failed it all throughout high school without your help. Somehow you were always able to teach it in a way I understood,” Kagome said, blushing.

“I had indeed considered cryptography and actuarial science, but none of the Nishimura International branches deal with either of those.” Sesshoumaru sighed, looking off into the distance.  _Perhaps if one did, I would be less unhappy._

“I have talked far too much about myself. It is your turn.” He smirked, changing the conversation topic.

“Oh, me? Well, high school was high school,” she said, laughing nervously. “You know what it’s like. This is my first semester at university.”

“Studying Japanese literature, correct?” She nodded in affirmation. “What drew you to literature?”

Her face brightened, and she began talking, gesturing wildly, describing why she wanted to learn more about old Japanese tales. Grandpa’s stories had taken root, clearly, and she was fascinated by the differences in tales between regions. “I hope that one day I can study those differences, but I don’t know yet who to talk to in my department.”

“You are in your first semester. That is expected.” He smiled, and her heart melted, her resolve shattered. Her heart ached with the echoes of ex-boyfriends but she couldn’t deny her feelings any longer.

“I—I think I’ve fallen in love with you,” she blurted out. The candles on the table flickered.

“Funny about that,” he said, reaching out to gently stroke his fingers along her jawline. “I think I fell in love with you a long time ago.”

“You feel… _right_.” There wasn’t any other way to explain it. None of the other boys she’d dated had made her heart sputter and jump and flit around, and until this dinner, with Sesshoumaru— _the man I’ve always loved_ , she thought—she hadn’t known that was what she’d been looking for.

They fell into a comfortable silence, just smiling at each other and holding hands, feeling like the world had disappeared and there was only each other, but too soon the waiter came by with their food. The conversation resumed, the spell having been broken, and the topic turned to what had happened in Japan while Sesshoumaru had been away. Kagome wrinkled her nose when he tried to talk politics, and she could see the thinly-veiled annoyance when she spoke of Inuyasha’s antics, but when she described a favorite park she’d discovered, he smiled and told her he’d love to see it.

“Perhaps,” she hedged, though she knew that she’d take him to the tiny grove beside the stream where she’d sat for hours in high school just watching the water flow past, imagining it whisking her troubles away. “Not tonight. It’s too…” She waved her hand.  _Personal?_

“No,” he said firmly, “not tonight.”

The waiter returned, and they ordered dessert. Kagome had been eyeing the matcha cheesecake all night, and Sesshoumaru opted to share it with her. Their conversation turned back to more frivolous things, like Souta's seemingly recent discovery of the charms of women. 

\---

As their evening drew to a close, they strolled hand-in-hand to the train station. Just like he’d done so many times before, Sesshoumaru walked her to the base of the shrine stairs, but this time, he continued beyond the gate to her front door.

“I enjoyed tonight,” he said with a soft smile, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Perhaps another—soon.”

“Me too. And I’d love that. Are—are you free Wednesday evening? Maybe I can show you that park I was telling you about.”

He turned to look at her. “Not Wednesday, unfortunately…unless you are free for lunch?”

“Lunch works for me, but how long is your break? The park is by my house, which is an hour away from the university.” He knew how far away her house was—why did she say that?

“My schedule is awful—I am free between eleven and four, which I believe is more than enough time. I shall pack a picnic for us.”

Kagome stared at him. “You cook?”  _Could he get any more perfect?_

“How do you think I survived in Singapore?” he asked, his eyes sparkling.

“Okay, okay,” she laughed. “But I’m cooking for you the next time!”

“Next time, eh? Planning so far ahead, Kagome-chan…one would think you’ve already planned our wedding.”

She sputtered, her face bright red.  _How does he know about my wedding Pinterest board?!_

He leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “This Sesshoumaru hopes you would allow him to assist you in planning our wedding. After all, it would be  _ours_ , and not just yours.”

Kagome’s mind whirled. He took her keys from her hand and unlocked the door. “Good night, my dear Kagome.”

“G—good night, Sesshou-chan.” She stumbled into her house, blushing fiercely. “Will you come in?”

“No, sadly. Tonight, I must keep my dreams of you just that—dreams.”

“You dreamed of me?” she asked, startled.

“Not every night, but often enough.”

Kagome flushed, feeling guilty that she’d barely thought of him until he surprised her at the coffeeshop, but then, she’d left the relationship hanging in a very different manner. He had the sense, thankfully enough, to not enquire about her dreams, and she was too nervous to ask exactly what sorts of dreams he’d had of her.

She was about to close the door when he jingled her keys at her, and as she reached for them, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, gently kissing her knuckles. His golden eyes bore into hers, revealing everything he kept locked behind his stoic façade.  _Love. Trust. Joy._  And she got to see it.

Reluctantly, a blushing Kagome pulled her hand back and closed the door as he turned to walk down the shrine steps. She took her phone out as she sat down to take off her shoes and sent him a quick text message.

> \-- _Thank you for dinner tonight. It was lovely._
> 
> _\--A lovely meal made better by lovely company._

She clutched her phone to her chest, smiling widely. He was such a romantic, and she loved it. She slipped her outdoor shoes off and padded upstairs in her socks to her room. As she was undressing and getting ready for bed, her phone dinged.

> _\--This Sesshoumaru hopes you have good dreams._
> 
> _\--Sweet dreams to you too, Sesshou-chan._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the gap between chapters—real life can be so cruelly demanding of one's mental energy. Sesshoumaru is quite the romantic, and it only gets better from here. Next up: a poetry contest, a picnic lunch in the park, and maybe even a li'l kissy-kissy action. Not too much, though.


	11. In the Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome stared at him. 'He's studied poetry? How did I not know this?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a hot minute and for that I am sorry. Have a chapter in penance.

On Wednesday morning Kagome spent exactly one hour, six minutes, and thirty-four seconds agonizing over what to wear that day. She eventually decided on a sundress, thanks to a thirty-minute text conversation with Yuka and Ayumi on appropriate outfits for second dates, but spent another fifteen minutes waffling between three dresses before Souta banged on the door yelling something about her being late, and she grabbed one of the dresses without looking too hard at it and quickly put it on.

By the time she sat down on the third train, she was finally able to look down and see just which dress she’d chosen in her rush that morning. At least it was cute – pink with tiny white flowers – and flattering. She pulled out a tiny compact to check her hair in the mirror, gently patting a few flyaways down, before sighing and checking her watch. Ten minutes until Sesshoumaru was free. She messaged him to meet her at the train station, rather than on campus as they’d planned. He responded in the affirmative quickly— _shouldn’t he be in class?_ —and Kagome relaxed slightly. She knew it probably would’ve been easier if he’d just come out to Yanokuchi station, but going to meet him gave her an excuse to spend more time with him.

As the train pulled into Kasuga station, she stood. She caught a glimpse of silver hair on the platform, and she blushed. He was waiting for her. And of course, she was late. At least she looked good. She left the train and walked up to him. “Sesshou-chan! I’m so sorry. My train was delayed.” She knew it was a flimsy excuse—the trains were _never_ late—but it was easier to say that than it was to say “I spent an hour agonizing over dresses and lost track of time.”

He kissed her forehead. “You look beautiful.” He had a feeling that it was actually her outfit that delayed her, rather than any train issues—he knew her too well.

“So, are you ready?” She grinned.

\---

“I know it’s far away, but it’s beautiful. Especially in spring, when the plum trees are in bloom.”

“We shall have to have a _hanami_ picnic in the spring, then.” He smiled as they boarded their third train, imagining future flower-viewing parties with friends and family alike…even a few tiny silver-haired children with their mother’s blue eyes.

“We should do it in the old style, where everyone speaks in poetry.” Kagome laughed. “But I don’t think anyone in either of our friend circles knows enough _waka_ to have a Heian-style _hanami_. Even I would have a hard time, and I’m studying it…!”

Sesshoumaru’s expression turned thoughtful. “Looking out across the willows and the cherries all intermingled in the capital: this spring they are a fine brocade.” (KKS I: 56)

Kagome stared at him. “You…” _He’s studied poetry? How did I not know this?_

“In high school, I was given the opportunity to study the _Kokinshuu_ anthology.” He answered the question her mouth refused to form. “It is wise to study the ancient ways, my grandfather tells me. And in this, I see he was correct.” The corner of his mouth flicked upwards. “This Sesshoumaru never thought he would see Higurashi Kagome rendered speechless. The ancient ways are useful indeed.”

When she regained her composure, Kagome glared at him. “If it’s a poetry contest you want, it’s a poetry contest you’ll get.”

She thought for a moment, then softly recited another poem from the anthology. “Awaiting the Fifth Month the orange blossoms’ scent fills the air, and folk from long ago with their perfumed sleeves come back to me.” (KKS III: 139)

“I did come back in summer, didn’t I,” her companion mused. “Well. On a summer’s night my dear one’s scent I seek: orange blossoms for my guide.” (GSS IV: 188)

“That’s not from the _Kokinshuu_ ,” Kagome argued.

“No, it’s not,” he agreed. “It’s from _Gosenshuu,_ but it was one of my grandfather’s favorite poems.”

“Are we warring with orange blossoms, then?” Kagome racked her memory for another orange-blossom poem. “Orange blossom scent upon the breeze urges me back to times gone by, in my night-time garb…”

Sesshoumaru looked at her. “That’s not one I’m familiar with.”

“It’s from the _Roppyakuban Uta’awase_ , a collection of Heian poems from a competition. I figure if you strayed from the _Kokinshuu_ so could I.” Her smile turned wistful. “I like it, though. Remember the summer nights we spent together, before everything went to hell?”

“A good choice of poem, then. This Sesshoumaru willingly concedes defeat.” He inclined his head. “Those blossoms are but fond memories. Let us make new memories under new flowers.”

“You’re getting very poetic on me, Sesshou-chan,” Kagome laughed.

“Yes, but more seriously: what say you to making this official?”

“You mean….” She was certain she knew what he meant, but she desperately wanted to hear it from him, rather than assuming.

“Yes. This Sesshoumaru would court you, Higurashi Kagome.”

“So formal, Sesshou-chan. This Kagome accepts,” she said, a smile twinkling in her eyes.

When they finally arrived at the park, the serious mood had lifted. While walking to the park, Kagome had cautiously extended her hand towards Sesshoumaru, unsure if he was the hand-holding type. He’d reached out for her hand at the same time, and as their fingers touched, Kagome swore she’d felt a literal spark between them. Still holding hands, they found a tree to sit beneath and eat the _bento_ Sesshoumaru had made.

They talked about everything and nothing, their conversation peppered with compliments about the food from Kagome. As the afternoon wore on, they were startled when Sesshoumaru’s phone started buzzing and ringing. “It seems it is time for me to return to campus,” he said by way of explanation as he dismissed the alarm. He stood, and helped Kagome to her feet. “We should perhaps schedule a third date. I believe you said something about cooking?”

“Yes! Mama makes the _best_ oden and I’ve been trying to make mine as good as hers, so I need a taste-tester. Is Friday too soon?”

“Hmm. On the contrary—I would rather see you again tomorrow for coffee than wait until Friday, but if you insist…”

“Coffee sounds awesome, so long as you’re still going to be my oden guinea pig on Friday.” Kagome laughed. “Souta will eat anything you set in front of him so I can’t exactly trust his taste buds.”

“I never said I wouldn’t. Coffee tomorrow and oden Friday—it sounds perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spent way too much time trying to find a shrine by a park, a river, and a train station. I ended up picking one near Yanokuchi station. No clue if the landscape matches what’s in the anime, but it works for my purposes location-wise. Thankfully, Tokyo has a lot of rivers, and a lot of parks along their banks. The poems are all real: numbers 56 and 139 from the Kokinwakashuu, 188 from Gosenwakashuu, and a winning poem (256) from the “poetry competition in six hundred rounds,” the Roppyakuban Uta’awase. They're so pretty TT_TT  
> 16/10/19: updated to remove the ultra-formal "this Sesshoumaru" stuff at the very end, forgot I hadn't been using that for the rest of the story and it doesn't make sense for him to be using that outside him formally asking Kagome to be his girlfriend.


	12. Moving In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Souta isn’t going to be fine if he gets blown off the roof!” She felt frantic, worried. And worse, powerless.
> 
> “He will be fine, he is not an idiot.”
> 
> “Coulda fooled me,” she grumbled. “What idiot goes out on the roof in the middle of a storm like this—“ she gestured to the window, which was currently being pelted with rain blown sideways “—and nails a tarp down? My brother, that’s who!”

Kagome snuggled a little closer to Sesshoumaru. Movie date nights were always her favorite—a great excuse to cuddle up close to her love, and a guarantee that he wouldn’t suddenly get up and dump her unceremoniously on the couch. (He was courteous enough to at least pause the movie before doing that.)

As her luck would have it, at that moment he paused the movie and stood. “More popcorn?”

“Yes please.” She smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

He returned her smile, and gently kissed her before going into the kitchen. Kagome turned her attention to her phone, and started idly scrolling through social media. Just as Sesshoumaru started the microwave, a text message from her mother came in.

- _There’s a huge storm coming in, it’s probably best if you stay at Sesshoumaru’s place tonight. Love you, stay safe (and dry)!_

_\- Will do. Thanks for the warning, Mama! Tell Souta to stay out of my room._

With a herculean effort, she hauled herself to her feet and wandered over to the floor-to-ceiling window. The winds were strong, and she could barely make out the heavy cloud cover rolling in. As she stood, watching, the rains began. She wandered into the kitchen, where Sesshoumaru was waiting for the popcorn to finish. “Mama says a big storm is coming in and she’s given me permission to stay over,” she said almost coyly. “Does this mean we can watch a rom-com next?”

“No.” Sesshoumaru didn’t even look up from his phone. “But we can do other…romantic…activities.” He flicked his gaze up to watch Kagome’s face blush. The microwave dinged, and he moved to empty the popcorn into a bowl. “Unless, of course, you’d prefer to watch another movie.”

“No! Um. Maybe—“ Kagome groaned. “Why do you do this to me, Sesshou-chan?”

“Because, my dear—“ he bent down for a kiss as he swept past her into the living room “—I love seeing you blush.”

She rolled her eyes, not that he could see, and followed him to the couch. She flopped ungracefully on top of him after he’d set the popcorn bowl aside (how he hated mess, and she also wasn’t really wanting popcorn down her shirt, come to think of it) and forcefully snuggled into his chest. “Payback,” she mumbled. “Hugs. Lots of ‘em.”

He wrapped his arms around her. “I suppose I shall have to suffer through hugs, then.”

Before Kagome could reply, her phone rang. “Mama? What—“

_“Kagome! The wind—it’s taken out a tree branch. I think. It doesn’t look like a whole tree, at least.”_

“What? Mama, you’re not making sense. What’s happened?”

_“A branch came down onto the roof—one of the pine trees, I think? The one outside your window, that Inuyasha used to climb up when he thought everyone was asleep.”_

“You _knew_? And let us think you didn’t? Oh my god, everything I knew is a _lie_. But wait—where’d the branch fall?”

 _“Through the roof!”_ Mrs. Higurashi was nearly hysterical.

“Yes, Mama, but where?”

 _“Mama, stop. Lemme—Hey sis, so I didn’t go into your room I promise but um, nature decided to do some redecorating. There’s a tree branch in it now.”_ Souta had taken the phone from their mother, clearly.

“A tree branch,” Kagome said flatly. “In my room.”

_“Yeah. I didn’t do it!”_

“I didn’t say you did, squirt, but—what am I gonna do? Can you make sure my laptop is out of there? I don’t need it getting wet!”

_“This is you giving me permission to go into your room?”_

“Yes! Just—make sure it’s working. If it’s wet let it dry though!” Kagome ran a hand through her hair.

 _“Hold on, I gotta—aha! There it is.”_ She heard rustling, the wind whistling, rain lashing…and triumph.

“Is it okay? The branch didn’t hit it, did it?”

Sesshoumaru leaned down to whisper in her ear. “If it did, I will replace it for you.” Kagome waved him off.

“Souta! Is my laptop okay?”

_“Hold on, ‘Gome! Um…it doesn’t look like the screen is cracked or anything. I’ll find a towel and the power cord and let you know when it’s dry if it turns on.”_

“Thank you Souta. I guess—tell Mom I’ll be staying here tonight then, seeing as the branch made that decision for me. I don’t know where I’m going to stay in the mean—“

“Here,” Sesshoumaru said, decisively. “You will stay here.”

“I guess I’ll be staying here until the roof is fixed, then. I’ll be by tomorrow to get clothes and stuff, if the rain’s calmed down.”

_“Okay. I’ll tell Mom. Grandpa’s got it in his head that he’s going to put a tarp over the hole, so I’m gonna go take that from him and do it myself.”_

“Stay safe, squirt. Love you.”

 _“Love you too.”_ The call ended, and Kagome laid back and let out a deep breath.

“What the hell just happened?”

“A tree bran—“

“I know what happened, but… this is ridiculous, Sesshou-chan. My room, of all of them!”

He bent down to kiss her softly. “You are safe. Your laptop appears to be unharmed. Your family is safe. Everything is fine, Kagome.”

“Souta isn’t going to be fine if he gets blown off the roof!” She felt frantic, worried. And worse, powerless.

“He will be fine, he is not an idiot.”

“Coulda fooled me,” she grumbled. “What idiot goes out on the roof in the middle of a storm like this—“ she gestured to the window, which was currently being pelted with rain blown sideways “—and nails a tarp down? My brother, that’s who!”

“Kagome. Shush. Breathe. You are getting hysterical.”

She did as he bade, and after a minute of careful breathing, she opened her eyes to see Sesshoumaru peering down at her worriedly. “I’m fine, Sesshou-chan.” She reached up and cupped his face with her hands, guiding him down for a kiss. “Thank you.”

“I suppose asking if you would like to continue the movie is inappropriate.”

“Actually, I could use the distraction. Pass the popcorn?”

\---

“Okay, I think that’s the last of it,” Kagome said, wiping her brow. “Or at least, the last of what I’ll need for the foreseeable future.”

“Are you sure Sesshoumaru is fine with this, dear?” her mother asked, her brow creased with worry.

“Mama, he’s the one who said I’d be staying with him. If he didn’t want me, if he wasn’t fine with it, I don’t think he would’ve said anything.” Kagome smiled. “Besides, I have a sneaking feeling he’s thinking about proposing in the next year, so think of this as a trial run for marriage.”

“Marriage?” Sesshoumaru said, walking into the room. “I have said nothing on that subject.” His eyes twinkled, giving him away.

“Yes you have, Sesshou-chan, but I’m not going to rehash those conversations for Mama’s benefit.” Kagome turned to her mother. “Thanks for your help, Mama, I think we’ve got it from here.”

“If you’re not back before next summer I’m turning your bedroom into a sewing room,” Mrs. Higurashi gently threatened, kissing her daughter on the cheek. Kagome grinned and left to go check on how the car-packing was going.

“I think you may be able to do that sooner than expected,” Sesshoumaru replied, looking over at his future mother-in-law with a sly expression.

“Have you something to ask? Do I need to get Jii-chan in here?” Mrs. Higurashi smiled. “I know what his answer would be, but you have always been the traditional sort.”

Sesshoumaru inclined his head. “I will be back at a later date—without Kagome—to speak with you on that subject. I do not want to risk her walking in on the conversation.”

“She does love a good surprise. Well, she’s said that was the last load, so I suppose we better go see how Souta is doing packing your car up.”

\---

“I think we’re gonna need to go to IKEA,” Kagome said quietly, looking at a small mountain of suitcases.

“You could also cull your wardrobe.” Sesshoumaru arched his eyebrows.

“But getting a new dresser is easier, Sesshou-chan!”

“As we unpack, let us cull. And _then_ we may go to IKEA for a new dresser.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm...not entirely happy with this? I mean, a conveniently timed tree branch crashing into Kagome's room progresses the plot along nicely, but I still think it could've gone better. But alas, cooperate this scene did not, and so this is the chapter you receive. I did not do my usual obsessive research to find out if there's an IKEA that Kagome could conceivably go to, so I suppose I should apologize for that. But as far as "generic furniture store" goes, it's *the* "generic furniture store." And yes, the tree branch falls less than five minutes after Mrs. Higurashi texts Kagome. The winds were strong! Like I said, conveniently timed tree branch. That's the story and I'm stickin' to it.   
> Oh! For the record, Souta did indeed do the stupid thing and nail a tarp onto the roof over the hole, but he managed to do so and get back onto solid ground with minimal injuries, so Kagome's not gonna kill him. (Yet. When she sees what he's made Sesshoumaru do in order to get his approval to propose, though...no promises.)


End file.
